


Undercover

by OptimisticallyCynical



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: "nerd shit", I mean they're teenagers so..., I need sleep, M/M, rated 't' for some strong language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28630440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OptimisticallyCynical/pseuds/OptimisticallyCynical
Summary: In search of the elusive next issue of the Dungeon Lord Saga, Demetri ends up wandering to a comic book store in a shady part of town, running into the last person he'd ever thought he'd see there.
Relationships: Demetri/Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
Comments: 12
Kudos: 116





	Undercover

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing this for the last few days on and off. Not sure if I really like it but I had fun writing it and I'm running off of basically no sleep for the last while since my body hates me so... you get this. Anyways, takes place after Demetri's arm is broken but before the all out home invasion in the last ep of season 3. And seriously, Eli seemed so interested in the new Doctor Who you're going to tell me that kid didn't secretly find way to sneak around and get back into so... Anyways, takes place afterhis old shit? I don’t think so. XD Also there might be some mistakes in there, sorry.

Demetri almost couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he finally held the newest issue of Dungeon Lord in his hand.

The last issue had been great, throwing everyone for a spin with what could happen now that the Warlock of Nafoor was brought back. A story line Demetri hadn’t thought that he would have enjoyed, but found himself pleasantly surprised by with the direction they took it. It really brought back fans who hadn’t bothered to keep up in quiet some time, which was great, it really pumped some new life into the forms he was part of, but in the same breath it also meant that when the following issue came out, everyone wanted in on it.

After school he’d rushed right over to the mall, the place he turned to whenever getting any type of ‘nerd’ merchandise since a certain group of red and black themed thugs were no longer allowed to enter, but by the time he’d arrived, they were already sold out.

It left him with no choice but to spend most of his day hunting down other comic stores, not the most ideal way to spend his Friday he supposed but it could have been worse. At the very least it had given him a chance to see what the other places had to offer, even if it did end up leading him way out of the way of where he would normally travel.

He honestly wondered how this place managed to stay open when he first wandered in and noticed the unhealthy layer of dust settled over seemingly everything. Really it had to be some type of health code violation, what about people with asthma or dust allergies? None the less though, beggars really couldn’t be choosers and it had what he wanted.

With his quest for the illusive graphic novel over, he could finally wander home and enjoy a night of reading and pizza and scrolling through the latest reddit.

The little chime of the store bell brought him out of his day dream of melted cheese and colourful art and back to the dank and dusty store around him.

Getting up from where he’d been kneeling on the ground his mouth pulled up in disgust as he set to work on whacking the dust off of himself.

Seriously, if this place wasn’t harbouring the only copy to be found right now, he might ask to speak to a manager about cleaning initiatives.

“Thought I’d see you at some point today.”

“Hey John, get any in today?”

Demetri froze.

“I saved one behind the counter for you.”

There was no way. He must have heard the voice wrong.

“Thanks man, you’re the best.”

As the two at the countered carried on their conversation Demetri found himself slowly looking over his shoulder.

“You have got to be shitting me.”

His voice was low, nowhere near loud enough to draw the attention of the others as they laughed along with one another.

Standing right on the other side, only a few rows from where he stood, was Hawk.

Although, maybe Hawk wasn’t the right name to call him.

For one, his hair wasn’t spiked in the Hawk’s now signature do, but mostly hidden under a grey beanie with only small bits of the bright red poking out at the edges. It appeared the red was missing from the rest of his wardrobe as well, the flashy colour replaced with muted greys and shades of black. It was as if he was trying to fade into the background, something Demetri could never see Hawk doing. His very posture demanded attention whenever he was around, and his almost military like commitment to the black and red colour theme made it very easy to spot him in a crowd.

Even the way he held himself showed very little of Hawk, his shoulders hunched and curled, an almost sort of stiffness throughout his entire form. Demetri watched, feeling just the slightest bit creepy by doing so, as the undercover cobra spoke in quiet, small bursts of dialogue, more content to listen then to speak. A trait which Hawk had dropped a long time ago, always taking over conversations whenever given the chance.

He wanted to say that he was looking at Eli, but even that didn’t seem right. While he had more Eli like traits in him right now, Demetri had never seen his friend looking so stiff and uncomfortable inside an establishment like this. If anything, these kind of buildings were the only place outside of home that Eli had ever seemed to be able to relax.

It was as if he was staring at a strange mix of a person before him, and he felt stuck, not knowing where to go from there.

Would it be okay to approach him? His arm had finished healing a few weeks ago sure, but he didn’t know if he really wanted to try going for round two. Than again, it was extremely rare for Eli, Hawk, whatever, to be alone, normally always being flanked by at least two other cobra assholes. What if this was the only chance he had to talk some sense into his friend? To try and bring him back?

Because as much as he hated to admit it, he hadn’t given up on him yet.

It was something that endless pissed off Sam, but thankfully Miguel understood. Him and Eli had been friends as well, almost like brothers once they started training together, and he would always take up the task of calming Sam down whenever the topic came up regardless of how often.

He couldn’t help it. Eli had been his only friend for so many years. They’d always had each others backs, and even after everything he’d been put through by Hawk, he still felt like maybe things could change. After all, Eli had switched from one extreme to the next. Demetri just wanted to show him that there was a middle ground. A place where he could find balance, as Mr. LaRusso was always telling them.

“Hey buddy, you okay back there?”

Oh shit.

With the cashier drawing attention to him so suddenly, Demetri found himself going stiff, a deer caught in the headlights so to speak, and felt his throat closing up when those all to familiar blues locked on him.

Well, he supposed there was no turning back now.

With an awkward wave he forced a crooked smile over his lips.

“Eli.”

He thought that maybe Hawk would march up to him, throw him into one of the bookshelf’s and get banned from yet another store. Maybe openly mock the fact that he was here and get right up in his face.

He didn’t know how to reach when Hawk turned tail and all but fled.

Hawk was... running away? He was retreating? But Hawk always faced situations head on.

“Eli wait,” but it was to late, he was already out the door, the bell giving off another musical chime that almost drowned out the shuffle of Demetri’s feet.

“Eli!”

“You going to pay for that?”

Without a second thought Demetri tossed the issue on the counter as he passed, not willing to take his eyes off the disappearing form of his friend.

“Sorry!”

He nearly tripped over his feet and ran into the door, just managing to catch himself and shove it open. Snapping his head to the side he could see Hawk’s swiftly fading back. While he wasn’t quiet running, he was walking fast enough to give himself enough of a head start. Demetri huffed as he jogged after him, his long legs helping him to quickly catch up.

“Eli wait!” When he was finally falling in step beside him, he forced a smile to his face. “Where’s the fire?”

As he brought his hand down to rest lightly on the others shoulder, it was imminently shrugged off with an aggressive jerk.

“It’s Hawk.”

There it was again, that stupid name. That stupid alter ego he’d been hiding behind for to long.

“Alright there Hanna Montana,” He was trying to keep his cool, he really was, at least one of them had to. “Can I please talk to the more rational side of your personas?”

“Shut up!” Hawk snarled.

Because this was Hawk. Not his sweet Eli, but the angry, hateful, twisted predator that he’d been turned into.

But he was tense, shoulders hunched up to his ears, air falling hard pass his lips.

Eyeing the other for a long moment Demetri rolled his shoulders back and placed his hands in the pockets of his hood.

“So, you go there often?”

It sounded like a bad pick up line, one that he couldn’t help but wince at the second it tumbled out of his mouth. It brought Hawk to a stop from his fast pace though, so suddenly in fact that Demetri actually continued on for a few steps before realizing it.

He felt a chill go down his spine when he realized how exposed he’d left himself, quickly remedying it by turning on his heels.

Sure, he wanted Eli back, and yes, he was willing to give him a chance, but that didn’t mean he wanted to make it to easy for Hawk to jump him again.

Apparently it wasn’t something that he had to worry about though. Hawk hadn’t moved. He just stood there, looking up Demetri with a familiar burning in his eyes that was becoming all to common.

Great, looked like they were back at square one.

“Look, Eli,”

“Hawk.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” quickly waving the other off, Demetri continued. “What’s the deal with this,” he made a quick gesture up and down the others body, arching a brow when a healthy coating of red spread over Eli’s cheeks, “whole get up? Are you, trying to hide or something?”

Hawk took a step towards him, his lips pulled back in a snarl before he stopped himself short. Demetri watched, silently for once, as he clenched and relaxed his hands, his fingers twitching as his arms jerked up like they were going to tug at his beanie before he forcefully held them at his side.

It was... odd to watch, to say the least.

Taking a quick glance over the others shoulders to the storefront they had walked out of, Demetri took another glance around the entry of the area they were in.

Kind of shady looking. A place Demetri would usually avoid at all cost honestly due to the stories his parents had told him at a young age about what happened to people who lingered to long in areas like this. The streets were dirty, filled with garbage and a few other things laying in the gutters that he didn’t want to look to hard at. To far from most places that there was next to no chance that he would run into allies out here if he needed them.

Or even run into anyone he knew for that matter.

That was when the obvious answer smacked him right in the face.

“Oh my god. Were you-? Were you shopping there?”

Finally Hawk’s features morphed into an expression he recognized, but not one he’s ever enjoyed seeing.

Pure, wide eyed terror.

A wholly Eli look.

It was there for all of two seconds before being buried, burned away by a fresh rage as Hawk finally surfaced in full. Demetri didn’t even have time to yelp before there were hands on his shoulders and he was suddenly slammed into a wall.

“You tell anyone,” Hawk was right up in his face now, so close that Demetri could see the flakes of light blue that had always been present in the sea of his eyes, “and you’ll regret it.”

“But of course. Couldn’t have anyone finding out you’re still into nerd shit am I right? What would the other cobras think?”

Occasionally, Demetri really hated the way his mouth moved before his mind had time to think. I was something that had gotten him in more trouble than it was worth and usually left him groaning on the ground.

This time however, he was ready.

He’d tangoed with Hawk on far to many occasions now. Wayyy to many. He knew the way that he worked, how he thought, for the most part anyways. Hawk was quick. His movements precise and brutal. Being fast enough to dish out the max amount of pain to his opponent in the shortest amount of time.

His defence on the other hand was basically nonexistent.

Something Demetri knew he could use to his advantage.

He managed to move quick enough to drop his elbow to his hip, shielding his side just as Hawk’s fist made contact. Without giving him any time to go for another hit, Demetri struck out next. To close to throw any sort of good hit with his fists, he brought up his knee, nailing the others stomach and than shoving him back to give them some room.

Holding his hands up and out he quickly shuffled to the side, not giving himself another chance to be trapped between Hawk and the wall.

“Whoa, okay, cool it.” He really didn’t want to start a fight right now. Not only would it not help his case to try and draw Eli back, but he also wasn’t sure how long he could really hold his own against the top fighter of their rival dojo. “I’m sorry. Of course I won’t say anything.”

The irritation rolled off Hawk in waves, but he didn’t strike out again.

Feeling safe for the moment Demetri slowly lowered his arms back to his sides. His tongue darted out to wet his dry lips, his eyes taking a quick glance around once again at their surroundings. When he was comfortable with the fact that there was still no one watching or waiting in the alleys, he turned back to Hawk once more.

“I don’t see why you have to hide it.”

Hawk gave a shake of his head, a bitter scoff spitting out into the space between them.

“Everyone knows that I’m into that stuff, Miguel even-,”

“I’m not you Demetri!” Hawk yelled, taking another step forward before jerking himself back. “I have no interest in being a loser my whole life.”

The jab hurt. He’d never liked the term loser that had been an ongoing label for him ever since he was younger and his peers hadn’t shared the same enthusiasm with his interests. It didn’t sting nearly as much as he was sure it would have however if the situation was different.

“Oh yes, I’m the loser.” He nodded, pointedly eyeing Eli’s whole get up as he continued. “But you know, at least I don’t have to go out of my way to enjoy my favourite pass time. Going so far as to sneak around the city in a poorly done disguise like I’m some undercover villain so my so called friends don’t strike out at me like a pack of starved snakes. Yup, gotta hand it to you there Hawk,” He mocked, bringing his hands together in a slow clap as he casually moved towards him, “out of the two of us here, I’d have to say, you really do look like the cool guy. So terrified of how people see you,” he was close enough now that if Hawk wanted to lash out at him, he very well all to easily could. But Demetri didn’t care, going so far as to get right up in his space and as he continued, “that you constantly have to fake who you are. Very impressive. Such a revolutionary concept. Truly, I am impressed with how little of a loser you’ve become.”

While his little rant might have been a little bit overboard and mean spirited, Demetri couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of satisfaction at the tense flutter he caught sight of in Hawk’s jaw.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything. They just stood there, their eyes locked on one another as if they were waiting for one of them to make the next move, to cave or walk away.

And Demetri sure as hell wasn’t going to do either of those things first.

So he waited.

He waited and watched carefully for any sort of hidden emotion in the others gaze that he could catch before it got snuffed out.

Hawk had to know how ridiculous this all was. He had to understand how unhappy this type of life was making him. Maybe there was a reason he was such a giant asshole lately that had nothing to do with how over the top he was willing to go when it came to proving himself to a bunch of assholes. Demetri could only imagine how testy he would be if he had to hide every interest of his and mock everything that actually made him happy as if there was something wrong with it.

Eli had always been so delighted to throw himself into the worlds of their favourite characters, most of the time getting far more involved in fan theories and lore hunting than even Demetri himself could be. It was something he’d always found kind of endearing, and something that he understood. Eli had been a target so long that his pastimes became a form of escape and comfort.

Than he’d been told that there was something wrong with it. That it somehow made him weak, a nerd, a pussy, that it somehow made him lesser in peoples eyes. And he’d been so desperate, so willing to leave everything of himself behind that he turned on it without a second thought. He flipped the script so suddenly and so severely that Demetri could have sworn that he’d basically committed murder, but of himself. Like one day Hawk had woken up and stuffed Eli in the closet to rot away into nothingness.

But... seeing the look on Eli’s face now, basically feeling the panic of being cornered and trapped, faced with a reality of himself that he didn’t like radiating off of him as if it had a physical form, Demetri felt a small pang of guilt tugging at his insides.

Guess he was caving first. 

With a sigh he brought his hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to think of a new approach.

God, the things he did for this guy.

“Let me get them for you.”

“What?”

Dropping his hand from his face he waved it around the area they were in.

“This looks like the place were comic book heros parents go to get killed.” He muttered, levelling Hawk with a deadpanned expression. “Seriously, it’s a wonder you haven’t been jumped walking home.”

For once Hawk looked thrown. His brows furrowed as he too shot a quick look around, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip to chew on it for a moment, a clear display of nerves. Demetri found his gaze being drawn to it, his stomach swooping slightly before he pulled himself together, cleared his throat and continued.

“Just tell me what you want, “His voice drew Eli’s attention back on him, and he found that he had to look away to avoid the intensity of them, “text me, you have my number, and I’ll pick it up from a much less shady location and drop it off at your backdoor. We don’t even have to talk. This doesn’t have to change anything.”

“I don’t-,”

“Eli for the love of God,” Demetri pressed his hands together as if he was actually praying, tilting his head up to the sky above, “for once, can you just- not be such a difficult asshole?” Tilting his head back down he face Eli’s frown full on. “It’s lost its charm a long time ago my friend. It’s not cute anymore.”

“Fuck you.”

“Gotta get on your knees and warm me up first buddy.”

The sudden bright flush across those pale cheeks was unexpected, and Demetri found himself amused with the fuming, nonsensical sputtering Hawk squawked out in turn.

Suddenly he was rather glad a bored night of online surfing had taken him to a page of ‘30 perfect responses to ‘Fuck You’.

It was well worth the time it took to read from how easily it ruffled the guy’s feathers.

Snickering at the absolutely seething glare he was receiving now, Demetri nodded his head towards where he’d parked his car.

“Come on. I’ll give you a lift home.”

He dropped his arm across Eli’s shoulders before he could protest, all to easily turning them around and dragging the huffing cobra with him.

“This doesn’t change anything.” Hawk grumbled as they neared the vehicle.

Demetri let out a scoff at his words, unlocking his car and only letting go after he’d opened the door for Hawk to slip into, not trusting him not to run off if he didn’t.

“Already said as much.” He agreed, placing one hand on the roof of the car and the elbow of his other arm resting lazily over the door. “Good to know your ears still work.”

Hawk didn’t respond, sinking low into his seat as if afraid that someone that he knew would pop out of nowhere and see him slumming it in Demetri’s car. Honestly there was probably little need to worry if they did run into someone they knew on the drive, he was sure next to no one would recognize the guy sitting in his passenger seat as the cocky and brash Hawk that terrorized society.

Taking a moment to really just stare at the other now that there was no worry of him taking off or unleashing hell upon Demetri’s person, he found himself surprised to notice that during their earlier scuffle, Eli’s hat must have been shifted just enough to allow some of the bright red strands to shake loose. It really showed off just how long Eli’s hair had gotten. Sure he figured it would have to be longer than he’d ever seen Eli wear it from the height his do managed to get whenever it was upright, but seeing it down was very different.

The long pause seemed to catch Eli’s attention, his body still sunk down but his eyes darting up to arch a furrowed brow at Demetri in question.

“What?”

“Your hair,” Demetri answered, his hand already reaching out to stroke the few strands he could see between his fingers. “oh, it’s soft.”

That was surprising. With all of the product that went into such a demanding hairstyle, not to mention the damage done by the constant vibrant colouring, he’d figured that it would feel dry and fried. Burnt out from all the constant use of chemicals. Surprisingly, it felt like the fur of a new baby kitten. Silky and fluffy.

Kind of like his old Eli.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile, giving a gentle tug on the strand he’d wrapped around his finger before pulling back and slamming the door shut. He felt oddly light as he made his way to the drivers side, like a weight was suddenly lifted off of his shoulders. He wasn’t really sure why, it just did.

“Seat belt.” The word was automatic as he slipped into the seat on his side.

Not without a lot of huffing and a dramatic grab at his belt did Hawk do as he was told.

Happy enough with that, although he could do without so much attitude thanks, Demetri drove them out of the lot.

It wasn’t until they were about halfway to Eli’s house that Demetri remembered he hadn’t bought the newest issue.

Oh well. He could always try again tomorrow.


End file.
